


surprises

by castielwholmes



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, as usual, happy late birthday arashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-12 06:37:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18005750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castielwholmes/pseuds/castielwholmes
Summary: …Speaking of said boyfriend, his absenceisputting quite a damper on the celebrations.





	surprises

**Author's Note:**

> back at it again with my long-standing tradition of posting birthday fic a day late  
> happy birthday, onee-chan. i love you!

Gosh, being loved is _exhausting_.

Arashi knows this well. She’s been in the public eye since she was a kid, and since becoming an idol she’s felt it even more.

But of course, she’s in no way complaining. It’s her 18th birthday, after all.

\-----

Normally, waking up to a burning smell when you live alone would be extremely alarming. But Arashi’s best friend is a terrible cook with a key to her apartment, so when she went out to the kitchen to see Mika fussing over the stove while Nyanko begged for fish at his feet, she couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

“Good morning, Mika-chan,” she called. The boy startled, dropping his chopsticks into the pan and nearly tripping over her cat.

“Na-naru-chan! Yer awake!” His face was bright red. “Um, happy birthday!”

She’d taken over what he’d been trying to cook, salvaging what she could and shutting him down every time he offered to help mix miso or make eggs. He’d been a bit sulky when she finished serving the two of them, but that quickly turned to a blush as she smiled at him with her chin resting in her hand.

“Mika-chan really is the cutest best friend a girl could ask for, you know?”

“Nnngahh?”

He’d needed to change out of his miso-stained clothes while she cleaned up the kitchen and got ready before they walked to school together.

She’d been surprised at the gate by a couple of first years in the producer course, receiving plenty of cheek kisses and flowers and cards addressed to “Arashi onee-chan.” The shyest of the group, Marika-chan, had her bow her head so she could put a tiara on her. And while she was distracted by all this, Anzu ran up and hugged her from behind.

“Happy birthday, onee-chan!”

Of course, the highlight of her morning was Kunugi-sensei wishing her a happy birthday. She may have a wonderful boyfriend, who’s texted her that morning and promised to call her as soon as she got home, but that doesn’t mean attention from her old crush is any less special.

…Speaking of said boyfriend, his absence _is_ putting quite a damper on the celebrations. She hasn’t even seen him for almost a month; they’d even needed to have Valentine’s Day a few days early before he’d gone off to help teach a month-long music class in Australia. He promised he’d be back in time for White Day and he’d make it worth the wait to see him, but still, that’s much too long for any girl to handle! Really, she doesn’t know how Mika-chan does it, what with his Oshi-san off studying in France. If she hadn’t moved into the same apartment complex as him she thinks the poor thing might have died of loneliness. She can barely go a few days without video calling Mama, and though her best friend and his boyfriend might call almost every night she’s not sure when the last time he got to see his face when he talked to him was.

Well, it couldn’t have been more than two months since _he_ had managed to come home for his beloved’s birthday. Unlike _someone_.

“Naru! What’s with that bitter face? It’s your birthday! C’mon, smile, smile!” Leo pokes at her cheeks, forcing the corners of her mouth up. Smiling for real at his antics that clearly haven’t gotten better since he graduated almost a year ago, she pushes his hands away.

“Leo-chan is just as charming as ever,” she laughs. “Nothing you should worry your pretty little head about. But if you’d like to send your friend a selfie and tell him that you and Izumi-chan made time to come back and see me, I wouldn’t tell you no.” The appearance of her old Knights senpai at the party Anzu had organized had been a delightful surprise. Not that she wasn’t really expecting it, but a surprise nonetheless.

“Huh? Mama’s not back yet? But he told me— wait! That's it!”

“That’s what?” Leo had already disappeared across the room. “Leo-chan, that’s what?”

She spends the rest of the party keeping an eye out for what “it” may have meant, but as the celebrations come to an end her boyfriend is _still_ nowhere to be seen. She feels a little ridiculous for thinking that he’d show up after he’d apologized so profusely for not being able to come home, but a girl can hope, you know? It would have been so romantic, too. She catches his eye across the room, him standing with that adorable dorky grin of his and his hands in his pocket, her flying into his arms and forgetting that they’re not the only two people in the world. What more could anyone ever want?

Her disappointment must show on her face as she and Mika walk home together.

“Naru-chan? You okay? Ya look tired, ya want me to carry something?” There’s concern in his eyes, and she feels bad for making such a sweet boy worry about her. “Or are ya still upset about Mikejima-senpai?”

Okay, maybe she didn’t want him to worry, but she can’t stop herself from letting everything out.

“It just would’ve been nice if he could have been here, you know? Like, we’ve been dating almost a year, plus it’s my birthday, plus I haven’t seen him in _ages_. I’m glad he’s getting these opportunities, but the timing just couldn’t be worse. I miss him, and it _sucks_!” Mika’s eyes widen at her choice of words, and she feels her cheeks growing warm. “Sorry Mika-chan, that was a little bit crass. But you understand, right?”

He nods. “Naru-chan, are you mad at him?”

“Heavens no, what sort of nasty girlfriend would I be if I wanted him to pass up something like this for my own selfish reasons? It just would have been nice if he could have done _something_ to make this special. Is that bad of me to ask? It’s just so lonely without him. You all today were simply _wonderful_ , but, you know, he’s different.” Moving her bags of gifts up her arms, she slips her hands into her pockets. “I’d just hoped… you know.” She’s not a fan of how her words have been failing her.

Mika’s expression is hard to read. In fact, it almost seems like he’s _trying_ to make it so. She must have been staring a little too long, because he blushes and turns his head away.

“Ya wanna come over to my place for a while? So ya won’t be lonely?” he asks as they approach their building. “It’s your birthday, so ya shouldn’t be alone?” He looks back at her, and his expression makes it seem like he’s really hoping she won’t say no. Not that she physically _can_ say no to her best friend. “If ya wanna put on something cute that’s fine. Yer gonna wanna take pictures, aren’t ya?”

She smiles, reaching over to ruffle his hair despite his protests. “Mika-chan is _so_ sweet. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be over, okay?”

Naturally Nyanko is absolutely _thrilled_ to have her mom home, winding around her legs and nearly tripping her as soon as she passes the genkan. Arashi scoops her into her arms and carries her with her to her room. She rubs her face on Arashi’s chin, giving her the littlest lick that makes her heart swell.  

Aside from getting to live right near her best friend, another perk of this whole apartment thing is getting to wear whatever she wants around the house. Anzu had taken her shopping shortly after she moved in to fill her closet with everything a girl could ever dream of wearing, from an assortment of skirts, blouses, and dresses to even a _darling_ maid outfit she’d bought on her own solely for the sake of seeing her boyfriend’s face when she wore it (of course, she didn’t regret this purchase one bit). She decides on a long floral skirt and a light pink tank top, wrapping a white cardigan around herself before touching up her makeup.

“I’ll be back in a bit, sweetie, okay?” she asks her cat as she measures out some food and scratches her back. Nyanko’s little “brrp” at her touch serves as a reasonable response.

“Mika-chan, I’m here!” She lets herself inside, slipping off her shoes. “Are you in your room?” She hears his laugh from that direction, and wonders if he’s on the phone with Itsuki-senpai.

“Oh, Naru-chan! Yeah, c’mon!” Maybe not then. But then what was he laughing at?

Oh.

_Oh._

She catches his eye across the room, him standing with that adorable dorky grin of his and his hands in his pocket. She drops her purse and flies into her boyfriend’s arms.

She nuzzles into Madara’s neck, hugging him as tightly as she possibly can. She can feel herself tearing up and probably messing up her freshly done mascara, but she doesn’t care. How did she survive this long without his hugs? She doesn’t ever want to find out again.

“Happy birthday, Arashi-chan.” His voice is soft, and the warmth from his breath is driving her crazy. Her hands twist the fabric of his jacket as she takes in his familiar scent.

“You’re here.”

Madara laughs. “What kind of boyfriend would I be if I missed my babygirl’s birthday?” He pulls away, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. She tugs him back by his shirt collar, desperate for the kisses she’d gone so long without.

“A terrible one,” she says with a pout after forcing herself to stop kissing him. She’d almost forgotten Mika was still there too, and a blush crawls up her cheeks. “I missed you! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back? What about that class, anyway? Aren’t you missing it?”

He cups her face in his hands and squishes gently, giving her another quick kiss. She has to press her lips together to keep from smiling. “I told them something important was going on at home, so they let me take a few days off! So I’m not back for good yet, but it’ll only be about a week more! And for not telling you… we thought it’d be more fun to surprise you.”

“ _We_?” she asks. “Mika-chan, you knew this whole time?” He looks like a deer caught in the headlights when he nods. “Oh. My. Gosh. You two are the _worst.”_ Her words would probably be more effective if she didn’t pounce on Mika to hug him too, but she’s not worrying about that right now. “Thank you.”

Once Arashi is able to let go of him they excuse themselves, or rather Mika excuses them by telling them Oshi-san is going to call soon, and even though she’s just next door they can’t get back to her apartment fast enough. It’s just the two of them now (well, the two of them and an excited cat), and there is absolutely nothing that can stop her from kissing her boyfriend senseless. Honestly, she’s been wanting to put her hands all over him since the moment she saw him. And while it hasn’t been _that_ long in the grand scheme of things, it’s been long enough that she’s just as excited as she’d been the very first time. Her hands run down his waist, but are caught suddenly on something firm in his jacket pocket.

Okay, maybe _one_ thing can stop her. Her curiosity is piqued. “What’s this?” she asks innocently, brushing her fingers back up his sides before settling back down.

“It was supposed to be a surprise. But I guess I’m the one surprised by the timing?”

She laughs and moves her hands up his chest. “You’ve given me enough surprises today, don’t you think?”

“So you don’t want it, then?”

“I never said that.” She can feel her face grow warm when he kisses her forehead.

Madara pulls out a gold box about the size of his palm, wrapped around with a red ribbon. “It’s not much, but-” She briefly puts a finger to his lips to shush him, then takes the box from his hands.

It’s a loose silver bracelet, connected all around with violet heart-shaped jewels. She lets out a soft gasp, bringing one hand to her mouth.

“Do you like it? I saw it in a shop on one of my off days and it kinda reminded me of your eyes. It’s a good match, right?” He puts his hands over hers on the box, taking the bracelet so he can hook it around her wrist. Not that she can really see how it looks, given that her eyes have begun to tear up.

“It’s beautiful.” She throws her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek before burying her face in his shoulder. For a moment she entertains the thought of never letting him go, ever. Just spending the rest of her life wrapped in his arms.

He’s wearing that grin again when he pulls away. The grin that caught her eye when she was deciding which club to join. The grin that managed to rope her into god knows how many jobs. The grin she fell in love with. “Hey, how do you feel about chirashizushi?” he asks. “My mom always used to make it for my sister for Girls’ Day, so I stopped at home and had her help me with some of the ingredients. There’s still a few things left, but we can do those together!”

She knows she must look absolutely ridiculous with how much she’s smiling, but that doesn’t matter.

“That sounds _perfect_.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading i cannot stress enough how grateful i am to you if you got all the way to the end. i'm sorry it started to suck lmao  
> if you liked it kudos/comments are super appreciated!  
> as always i'm @adosoumas on twitter, constantly screaming about these two


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